The invention relates generally to connectors that electrically couple two or more other connectors or devices, and more specifically, to an interposer connector assembly.
The ongoing trend toward smaller, lighter, and higher performance electrical components and higher density electrical circuits has led to the development of surface mount technology in the design of printed circuit boards and electronic packages. Surface mountable packaging allows for the connection of a package, such as a computer processor, to pads on the surface of the circuit board rather than by contacts or pins soldered in plated holes going through the circuit board. Surface mount technology may allow for an increased component density on a circuit board, thereby saving space on the circuit board.
One form of surface mount technology includes interposer connectors. Interposer connectors may include a substrate with conductive contacts on both sides of a dielectric substrate. Conductive vias, or holes that are filled with a conductive material, extend through the substrate to electrically couple the contacts on opposite sides of the substrate. The contacts on each side of the substrate engage conductive members or terminals of different electronic packages, such as a processor and a circuit board, to electrically couple the electronic packages with each other.
As the need for smaller, lighter, and higher performance electrical components and higher density electrical circuits increases, the density of the contacts and vias on each side of the substrate may increase. For example, the contacts and vias may be located closer together. As the contacts and vias move closer together, the data and/or power signals that are conveyed between the electronic packages using the contacts and vias may induce noise, crosstalk, and other electromagnetic interference on the data signals being carried by nearby or neighboring contacts and vias.
A need exists for an interposer connector assembly that enables a relatively high density of contacts while reducing noise and other interference on signals being transferred by the contacts.